kenney



(No Model.)

T. M. KENNEY.

` PENCIL.

Bamm-ed Apr.- 1, 1384.V

fav 52.6.27

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rMiren STATES! PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS-M. KENNEQ OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FRANCISEDGAR MASON, VOF SAME PLACE.i

PENCIL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentyNo. 295,923, dated April 1, 1884.

Application filed March 12, i883. (No model.)

.To all when/bit may concern:

Beit known that I, THOMAS M. KENNEY,

'of Cambridge, county ofMiddleseX, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Pencils, of which the following description,

yin connection with the accompanying draw- The lead-propelling device has a longitudinal sliding movement relative to the body of the pencil and the lead-holding tube, and is providedwith a series of shoulders or projections to engage the upper end ofthe lead and move `it through the body and tip as the said propellingdevice is moved longitudinally in the said pencil-body. The longitudinal movementof the propelling device, and consequently of the lead, is lresisted by a friction device having sufficient holding-power to prevent such longitudinal movement or slipping under the pressure ordinarily exerted between the end of the lead and paper in writing, although the said holding-power is overcome by a considerably stronger pressure brought to bear on the feeding device or lead'engaged thereby. rlhe projections of the feeding device engage the upper end of the lead to move it forward or out through the tip of the pencil-body, and when the feeding device is withdrawn or moved toward the upper end of the pencil-body the lead will remain held by the tip. The shoulders or projections of the feed` ing device are so arranged or spaced relatively to one another that when one has fed the lead forward as far as the longitudinal movement of the feeding device will allow, and the feed'- ing device is then withdrawn or moved back as farA as possible, the lead meanwhile being held by the tip and not accompanying the `feeding device in its backward movement, a

succeeding projection or shoulder will engage the said lead, so that the latter will then be fed forward from the point where it was-left bytheproj ection that previously acted upon it.

lsaid tubes d and a.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a pencil embodying this invention; Fig. 2, an elevation of the feeding device and tip offthe pencil; and Fig. 3, a transverse section on line w m, Fig. l.

The main body of the pencil comprises a tube, a, of suitable or usual material, such as hard rubber, provided at one end with a tip, b, shown as of metal split at its end, as shown at 2, to cause it to hold the lead c with moderate friction, the said lead passing through a tube, d, connected at its lower end with the said lead-holding tip b, and having a longitudinal slot, as shown at 3, for the greater portion of its length. The parts a b d consti--V tute the body or xed portion of the pencil, they having no movement with relation to one another, and in speaking of the movement of the lead and its propelling mechanism relative to the said body the term forward or* downward` will be applied to movement toward the tip b, and backward7 or upward77 to movement in the reverse direction.

llhe propelling device e is made tubular for a short distance from its upper end, it surrounding or inclosing the upper end of the lead-holding tube d, and being itself inclosed by the tube a, and adapted to slide or move longitudinally within the space between the l The said feeding device e, the whole or a portion of which will preferably be struck up from sheet metal, and may be tubular for its entire lengthinclosing the tube d, or may be merely a strip overlying the slot of the said tube, is provided with a series of lead-feeding projections, f, (shown as mounted upon the ends of spring-arms 73,) the said projections f being normally pressed inward bythe spring-arms through theslot 3 of the tube d in position to engage the end` of, the lead o thereon, the said armsz' yielding sufficiently to permit the lead to bepushed through the tube d from the upper end there-` of, and resting on the side of the said lead, as shown in Fig. 1, until its end is moved. past them. The feeding device e is provided with a holding device orfriction-clamp, m, shown in this `instance as a Vsplit tubular portion of" the feeding device 1e, surrounding the lower,

v ployed in the pencil.

feeding device e is threaded, as shown at @Qto receive a cap or knob, o, provided with a plunger, p, adapted to enter the upper end of the lead-receiving tube d, the lower end, f', of which forms a shoulder, whichfirstacts on the lead c when a new lead of full length is emyIn operation, when it is desired to provide a pencil with a new lead, the cap o, with its lconnected plunger p, is unscrewed from the upper end of the propelling device @which should be at that time withdrawn to its uppermost position, as shown in Fig. 1, and the lead is then pushed down through the tube rl from the upper eid toward the tip b, it pressing the projections or fingers f aside as it passes through the said tube. The cap o is then applied, the plunger p pressing'the lead farther down unt-il, when the cap is wholly screwed on, the lead of full length will just enter or project through the tip b, after which, as the lead wears away, or if the user desires the lead to project a considerable distance, the knob o is forced downward with relation to the body a with sufcient power to overcome the friction of the clamp m, moving the feeding device, and through the shoulder f also moving the lead c forward until its point projects the desired distance. i

When it is desired to have the point of the lead within the tip and body of the pencil, as for carry ing the pencil in the pocket, the point ofthe lead may be forcibly pressed inward toward the body a, thus pushing the lead and feeding device both backward until the end of the lead is wholly inclosed within the tip b, or until the vstop n operates to arrest the backward movement of the propelling mechanism and lead. As the lead gradually wears away, the feeding mechanism will have to assume a lower and lower position when the lead is in use, and at last the end of the plunger p or shoulder f', when the feeding mechanism is in its extreme forward position, will not cause the lead to project a sufficient distance beyond the tip. lVhen this point is arrived at, the

` propelling mechanism is withdrawn by means of the knob o from the body a of the pencil, the end of the lead then being held by the tip b, and not accompanying the propelling device f-.in its upward movement, so that when the latin Fig. l, and the latter will be fed forward until another Llength equal to the length of movement ofthe feeding device has been used up or worn out. After this, the next lower projection, f, will engage and feed the lead, and then the next, and the lowest one of the said projections feeds the lead almost to the end of the tip, so that only a very small portion will remain unused. rlhe space between the feeding projections f is somewhat less than the length of the feeding movement limited by the tip and the stop n, so that each one will act with certainty to feed the lead far enough to be engaged by the next one.

It is obvious that the construction can be modified in some particulars without departing from the inventionas, for instance, the friction may be between the outside of the feeding device and the inside of the tip b or tube a, instead of between the inside of the said feeding device and the outside ofthe tube d, which latter may be wholly omitted, in which case the feeding device will be made tubular for its entire length, to properly hold the lead.

The stop a might be attached to the inside of the tip b, or might be made as a lip or iiange upon the upper end of the tube a, to engage the shoulder or collar upon the feeding device. lf desired, a plunger or follower might be placed at the upper end of the lead and engaged by the feeding device, instead of having the latter operate directly upon the lead. f

I claim- 1. In a pencil, the combination, with the pencil-body, of a lead-feeding device longitudinally movable in the said body, having a series of projections or shoulders to successively operate upon the lead, and the holding device, resisting without positively preventing the IOO longitudinal movement in either direction of the said feeding device and lead under moderate pressure, substantially as described.

2. The pencil-body having a lead-holding tip, combined with the longitudinally-movable IIO lead-feeding device, having a series of yielding projections or shoulders to successively operate upon the lead, and a frictional clamp to resist and stops to positively limit the longitudinal movement in either direction of the propelling device relative to the pencil-body, substantially as described.

3. The pencil-body consisting of anv outer tube, a split lead-holding tip, and inner leadreceiving tube slotted longitudinally, all xed with relation to one another, combined with the longitudinally-movable and frictionallyheld feeding device, having a knob outside the end of the said outer tube, and a series of yielding lead-feeding projections or shoulders normally pressed into the said slot, substantially as described. Y

4. rlhe combination of the pencil-body with a longitudinally-movable lead-feeding device having a series of projections or shoulders,

and its removable cap or knob provided with In testimony'whereof I have signed my name a. plunger', substantially as described. tothis speeiezntion in the presence 0f two sub- 5. The body consisting of the tubes a and seribing Witnesses. el and tip b, combined with the feeding de- THOS. M. KENNEY. 5 vice having a series of projections, f, `and a Witnesses:

clamp o1- frietion device, m, substantially as Jos. P. LIVERMORE, described. A

W. H. SIGsToim 

